India vs West Indies, 4th ODI today at Dharamsala | Micromax Cup 2014

The 4th ODI between India and West Indies will be played this afternoon at the beautiful HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. The Micromax Cup 2014 ODI series is well poised at 1-1 after the cancellation of the third ODI at Vizag on the 14th due to Cyclone Hudhud. It seems like a long time since there has been any cricket since the 2nd ODI which took place in Delhi on the 11th which saw India bounce back to level the series.

The beautiful Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala set in the backdrop of the Himalayas

Dharamsala traditionally has been helpful for the seam bowlers with a nice greenish pitch. The stadium is at a high altitude so the ball generally flies smoothly for sixes. There may not be much assistance for the spinners and under lights, the seamers could have a party in making the batsmen dance.

India should be looking to bring in Ishant Sharma to add more teeth to the bowling attack. Will they drop Ambati Rayudu or Amit Mishra to make room for Ishant Sharma remains to be seen. India can well afford to drop AT Rayudu who hasn’t done much with the bat especially given the fact that he has shown a tendency to consume too many balls to get going. The inclusion of Ishant Sharma will boost the pace bowling department especially on a track that is expected to be conducive for seam bowling. However, playing four pacers in an ODI will burden MS Dhoni in keeping up with the over rate.

The Indian selectors have added Akshar Patel in the squad but he is unlikely to be played today unless there is a fitness issue with Ravindra Jadeja.

West Indies because of the pitch conditions look to be the favourites. The West Indies have plenty of seam bowling options. Jerome Taylor has looked outstanding in his comeback while Ravi Rampaul on a seaming track can be quite difficult to handle. The back-up seam options are plenty with the likes of Skipper Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy and Andre Russell. In fact the West Indies have fast bowler Kemar Roach who could be brought into the XI either in the place of Sammy or Russell.

The visitors have called up left-arm spinner Nikita Miller to strengthen their spin attack. Nikita Miller has taken the place of Lendl Simmons with the latter returning home following a back injury. Miller is unlikely to get a game though this afternoon.

This India vs West Indies, 4th ODI at Dharamsala is scheduled to start at 2:30 pm IST. Live TV coverage of the 4th ODI of the Micromax Cup 2014 will be on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 3 channels.